By MATT PATNEAUDE

When I first met Pastor John Martin, I quickly noticed the JCM initials on his shirt. Was he trying to show support for the Jet City Maven? Actually, he shares the same initials as our newspaper.

Martin recently became the Senior Pastor at Calvary Temple in the Roosevelt neighborhood.

After serving as interim pastor for four months, Martin was offered the pastorship on a permanent basis.

A 1981 graduate of Everett High School, Martin received his Bachelor's degree from Kirkland's Northwest College in Religion and Christian Education. He then went to seminary school in Chicago to get a Master's in Religious Education.

Prior to coming to Calvary Temple, Martin served as an Executive Pastor at the regional Assemblies of God office in Everett for two years. His responsibilities included troubleshooting, working with churches in transition, and speaking to different congregations throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. "It was more of a corporate administrative job," says Martin.

Missing the close interaction that a pastor develops with their churchgoers, Martin felt the desire to return to the pulpit on a full-time basis. Before working in the regional office, he was a pastor at First Assembly of God in Anacortes for seven years and Coulee City Assembly of God for four years.

As pastor at Calvary Temple, Martin is working with people to make positive changes in their lives. "There is nothing better than being able to interact with people directly," says Martin.

Martin hopes his preaching will help people deal with the stress and pressure of life. It is his desire to be an accessible pastor to the people, not just someone whose sermon they listen to for an hour or two once a week. He would also like to see Calvary Temple make an impact in the community through outreach and other programs.

In his free time, Martin enjoys sports, reading, and landscaping. He particularly loves to golf and describes himself as an avid Mariner fan.

Martin and his wife, Ronda, recently moved from Everett to Brier. That will help with the commute to Calvary Temple. The couple have two children, seven-year-old Rachel and four-year-old Joshua.

Calvary Temple is located at 6810 8th Ave NE.